The Miami Dolphins will begin the 2026 NFL season with a new head coach, general manager, starting quarterback, and plenty of other new faces around the organization.
The franchise has had four different head coaches over the last nine years and plenty of roster turnover during that span.
Also, the Dolphins have not won a playoff game in over 25 years. Miami has made the playoffs three times in the last 10 years but they failed to advance each time.
Former Dolphins CB Calls Out GM Jeff Ireland For Miami’s Failures
Former Dolphins cornerback Sean Smith didn’t mince words when discussing former general manager Jeff Ireland, arguing that the executive is the main reason for the Dolphins’ struggles over the years.
Ireland was hired as Miami’s GM in 2008 when the team finished 11-5, won the AFC East, and lost in the Wild Card game. He spent five years with the Dolphins, and the team had a combined 35-45 record during his tenure before he ultimately became a draft consultant for the Seattle Seahawks.
Over Ireland’s six-year stint as Miami’s general manager, the Dolphins posted a 46-50 record. After the team’s Wild Card loss in 2008, Miami failed to make the playoffs again throughout the rest of Ireland’s tenure. Since then, the Dolphins have had five winning seasons in 12 years, with four coming in the last six seasons.
Smith believes Ireland was the main thing holding Miami back.
Former Dolphins CB Sean Smith says Jeff Ireland flat out destroyed the Miami Dolphins during his time in charge. #PhinsUp
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“Unfortunately, Jeff Ireland’s sorry a** destroyed the Miami Dolphins. He personally — you could talk to anybody you want to who’s not playing no more — that guy, terrible,” Smith said on “The Dive Bar Podcast.”
“I think he offered me like $1.2 (million). It was something crazy. I’m like, ‘What?’ I hung up so fast. Bro, get the f**k off my phone. Nobody never wants to leave Miami, come on now.”
Smith was drafted by Miami in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played four seasons with the Dolphins before he signed a free-agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs.
In his four years with the Dolphins, Smith totaled 211 tackles, 39 passes defended, and 5 interceptions in 63 games, and it’s clear he was not fond of Ireland.
“Ireland was really the one that thought he ran the whole organization, and he made some bulls**t decisions. Like, I really don’t understand what that man was thinking,” Smith said. “It’s the same story over and over and over again, and then the common denominator is that guy.
“It sucks because we’ve had some talent come through Miami. You know, if you can’t keep talent in Miami, then what does that say about you? Like, this has to be one of the most attractive places to come to, you know, and guys are coming in and out.”
The Dolphins started former head coach Mike McDaniel’s tenure with back-to-back playoff appearances, but then Miami finished the last two years under .500.
Now, it’ll be head coach Jeff Hafley and GM Jon-Eric Sullivan’s job to figure out how to turn the Dolphins’ organization around.
